Ghana — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Ghana, 1991–2025.
Unemployment for Ghana was 2.98% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 10.46% in 2000. The lowest was 2.17% in 2013 (about 1.4× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -0.46% per year.
Ghana ranks 148 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 79%. The median for Sub-Saharan Africa is 5.45%, so Ghana sits below it. It peaked in 2000 and has fallen 72% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved down 56%. Within Sub-Saharan Africa it ranks 35 of 47 economies; Liberia (2.88%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 103% in 2014. That is 17% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
From its 1991 level: doubled by 1996.
World ranking. Slipped: 123rd of 187 in 1991 → 67th of 187 in 2000 → 114th of 187 in 2010 → 159th of 187 in 2020 → 143rd of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1991 to 2025
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2.98% | +0.2 pp |
| 2024 | 2.82% | -0.0 pp |
| 2023 | 2.83% | -0.0 pp |
| 2022 | 2.87% | -0.3 pp |
| 2021 | 3.2% | +0.0 pp |
| 2020 | 3.18% | +0.1 pp |
| 2019 | 3.07% | -0.1 pp |
| 2018 | 3.2% | -0.2 pp |
| 2017 | 3.37% | -1.9 pp |
| 2016 | 5.26% | -1.5 pp |
| 2015 | 6.81% | +2.4 pp |
| 2014 | 4.4% | +2.2 pp |
| 2013 | 2.17% | -1.0 pp |
| 2012 | 3.13% | -1.1 pp |
| 2011 | 4.21% | -1.2 pp |
| 2010 | 5.38% | +0.0 pp |
| 2009 | 5.36% | +0.2 pp |
| 2008 | 5.14% | +0.0 pp |
| 2007 | 5.1% | +0.2 pp |
| 2006 | 4.9% | -0.9 pp |
| 2005 | 5.82% | -0.9 pp |
| 2004 | 6.76% | -1.0 pp |
| 2003 | 7.73% | -1.0 pp |
| 2002 | 8.71% | -0.9 pp |
| 2001 | 9.62% | -0.8 pp |
| 2000 | 10.46% | +0.4 pp |
| 1999 | 10.1% | +1.9 pp |
| 1998 | 8.2% | +0.6 pp |
| 1997 | 7.64% | +0.5 pp |
| 1996 | 7.09% | +0.6 pp |
| 1995 | 6.48% | +0.6 pp |
| 1994 | 5.9% | +0.7 pp |
| 1993 | 5.23% | +0.5 pp |
| 1992 | 4.7% | +1.2 pp |
| 1991 | 3.49% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Ghana’s Unemployment in 1992?
4.7% (1992). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of total labor force, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is Ghana’s Unemployment growing or shrinking?
Between 1991 and 2025 the series was shrinking overall: -14.6% in total — about 0.5% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2025: 2.98%; 2024: 2.82%; 2023: 2.83%; 2022: 2.87%; 2021: 3.2%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS — Unemployment Rate. Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.